Rail vs. Rod

Railnoun

A horizontal bar extending between supports and used for support or as a barrier; a railing.

Rodnoun

A straight, round stick, shaft, bar, cane, or staff.

‘The circus strong man proved his strength by bending an iron rod, and then straightening it.’;

Railnoun

The metal bar that makes the track for a railroad.

Rodnoun

A longitudinal pole used for forming part of a framework such as an awning or tent.

Railnoun

A railroad; a railway, as a means of transportation.

‘We travelled to the seaside by rail.’; ‘a small Scottish village not accessible by rail’;

Rodnoun

(fishing) A long slender usually tapering pole used for angling; fishing rod.

‘When I hooked a snake and not a fish, I got so scared I dropped my rod in the water.’;

Railnoun

A horizontal piece of wood that serves to separate sections of a door or window.

Rodnoun

A stick, pole, or bundle of switches or twigs (such as a birch), used for personal defense or to administer corporal punishment by whipping.

Railnoun

(surfing) One of the lengthwise edges of a surfboard.

Rodnoun

An implement resembling and/or supplanting a rod (particularly a cane) that is used for corporal punishment, and metonymically called the rod, regardless of its actual shape and composition.

‘The judge imposed on the thief a sentence of fifteen strokes with the rod.’;

Railnoun

(internet) A vertical section on one side of a web page.

‘We're experimenting with ads in the right-hand rail.’;

Rodnoun

A stick used to measure distance, by using its established length or task-specific temporary marks along its length, or by dint of specific graduated marks.

‘I notched a rod and used it to measure the length of rope to cut.’;

Railnoun

(drugs) A large line.

Rodnoun

(archaic) A unit of length equal to 1 pole, a perch, ¼ chain, 5½ yards, 16½ feet, or exactly 5.0292 meters (these being all equivalent).

Railnoun

Any of several birds in the family Rallidae.

Rodnoun

An implement held vertically and viewed through an optical surveying instrument such as a transit, used to measure distance in land surveying and construction layout; an engineer's rod, surveyor's rod, surveying rod, leveling rod, ranging rod. The modern (US) engineer's or surveyor's rod commonly is eight or ten feet long and often designed to extend higher. In former times a surveyor's rod often was a single wooden pole or composed of multiple sectioned and socketed pieces, and besides serving as a sighting target was used to measure distance on the ground horizontally, hence for convenience was of one rod or pole in length, that is, 5½ yards.

Railnoun

(obsolete) An item of clothing; a cloak or other garment; a dress.

Rodnoun

(archaic) A unit of area equal to a square rod, 30¼ square yards or 1/160 acre.

‘The house had a small yard of about six rods in size.’;

Railnoun

(obsolete) Specifically, a woman's headscarf or neckerchief.

Rodnoun

A straight bar that unites moving parts of a machine, for holding parts together as a connecting rod or for transferring power as a drive-shaft.

‘The engine threw a rod, and then went to pieces before our eyes, springs and coils shooting in all directions.’;

Railverb

(intransitive) To travel by railway.

Rodnoun

(anatomy) Short for rod cell, a rod-shaped cell in the eye that is sensitive to light.

‘The rods are more sensitive than the cones, but do not discern color.’;

Railverb

(transitive) To enclose with rails or a railing.

Rodnoun

(biology) Any of a number of long, slender microorganisms.

‘He applied a gram positive stain, looking for rods indicative of Listeria.’;

Railverb

(transitive) To range in a line.

Rodnoun

(chemistry) A stirring rod: a glass rod, typically about 6 inches to 1 foot long and 1/8 to 1/4 inch in diameter that can be used to stir liquids in flasks or beakers.

Railverb

To complain violently (against, about).

Rodnoun

(slang) A pistol; a gun.

Railverb

To gush, flow.

Rodnoun

A penis.

Railnoun

An outer cloak or covering; a neckerchief for women.

Rodnoun

(slang) A hot rod, an automobile or other passenger motor vehicle modified to run faster and often with exterior cosmetic alterations, especially one based originally on a pre-1940s model or (currently) denoting any older vehicle thus modified.

Railnoun

A bar of timber or metal, usually horizontal or nearly so, extending from one post or support to another, as in fences, balustrades, staircases, etc.

Rodnoun

(ufology) A rod-shaped object that appears in photographs or videos traveling at high speed, not seen by the person recording the event, often associated with extraterrestrial entities.

Railnoun

A horizontal piece in a frame or paneling. See Illust. of Style.

Rodnoun

(mathematics) A Cuisenaire rod.

Railnoun

A bar of steel or iron, forming part of the track on which the wheels roll. It is usually shaped with reference to vertical strength, and is held in place by chairs, splices, etc.

Rodnoun

(rail transport) A coupling rod or connecting rod, which links the driving wheels of a steam locomotive.

Railnoun

The stout, narrow plank that forms the top of the bulwarks.

Rodverb

(construction) To reinforce concrete with metal rods.

Railnoun

A railroad as a means of transportation; as, to go by rail; a place not accesible by rail.

Rodverb

To penetrate sexually.

Railnoun

a railing.

Rodverb

(slang) To hot rod.

Railnoun

Any one of numerous species of limicoline birds of the family Rallidæ, especially those of the genus Rallus, and of closely allied genera. They are prized as game birds.

Rodnoun

A straight and slender stick; a wand; hence, any slender bar, as of wood or metal (applied to various purposes).

‘He that spareth his rod hateth his son.’;

Railverb

To flow forth; to roll out; to course.

‘Streams of tears from her fair eyes forth railing.’;

Rodnoun

A kind of sceptor, or badge of office; hence, figuratively, power; authority; tyranny; oppression.

Railverb

To inclose with rails or a railing.

‘It ought to be fenced in and railed.’;

Rodnoun

A measure of length containing sixteen and a half feet; - called also perch, and pole.

Railverb

To range in a line.

‘They were brought to London all railed in ropes, like a team of horses in a cart.’;

Rodnoun

a linear measure of 16.5 feet

Railverb

To use insolent and reproachful language; to utter reproaches; to scoff; - followed by at or against, formerly by on.

‘And rail at arts he did not understand.’; ‘Lesbia forever on me rails.’;

Rodnoun

a long thin implement made of metal or wood

Railverb

To rail at.

Rodnoun

any rod-shaped bacterium

Railverb

To move or influence by railing.

‘Rail the seal from off my bond.’;

Rodnoun

a square rod of land

Railnoun

a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports

Rodnoun

visual receptor cell sensitive to dim light

Railnoun

short for railway;

‘he traveled by rail’; ‘he was concerned with rail safety’;

Rodnoun

a gangster's pistol

Railnoun

a bar or bars of rolled steel making a track along which vehicles can roll

Railnoun

a horizontal bar (usually of wood)

Railnoun

any of numerous widely distributed small wading birds of the family Rallidae having short wings and very long toes for running on soft mud

Railverb

complain bitterly

Railverb

enclose with rails;

‘rail in the old graves’;

Railverb

provide with rails;

‘The yard was railed’;

Railverb

separate with a railing;

‘rail off the crowds from the Presidential palace’;

Railverb

convey (goods etc.) by rails;

‘fresh fruit are railed from Italy to Belgium’;

Railverb

travel by rail or train;

‘They railed from Rome to Venice’; ‘She trained to Hamburg’;

Railverb

lay with rails;

‘hundreds of miles were railed out here’;

Railverb

fish with a hand-line over the rails of a boat;

‘They are railing for fresh fish’;

Railverb

spread negative information about;

‘The Nazi propaganda vilified the Jews’;

Railverb

criticize severely;

‘He fulminated against the Republicans' plan to cut Medicare’; ‘She railed against the bad social policies’;

Railnoun

a bar or series of bars fixed on upright supports or attached to a wall or ceiling, serving as part of a barrier or used to hang things on

‘a curtain rail’;

Railnoun

the inside boundary fence of a racecourse.

Railnoun

a steel bar or continuous line of bars laid on the ground as one of a pair forming a railway track

‘the goods train left the rails’;

Railnoun

railways as a means of transport

‘rail fares’; ‘travelling by rail’;

Railnoun

the edge of a surfboard or sailboard.

Railnoun

a horizontal piece in the frame of a panelled door or sash window.

Railnoun

a conductor which is maintained at a fixed potential and to which other parts of a circuit are connected

‘the anode must be connected to the positive supply rail’;

Railnoun

a secretive bird with drab grey and brown plumage, typically having a long bill and found in dense waterside vegetation.

Railverb

provide or enclose (a space or place) with a rail or rails

‘the altar is railed off from the nave’;

Railverb

convey (goods) by rail

‘perishables were railed into Manhattan’;

Railverb

(in windsurfing) sail the board on its edge

‘the more you pull down on the boom, the more you rail’;

Railverb

complain or protest strongly and persistently about

‘he railed at human fickleness’;